One Shots of a Love Sick Reaper
by love-sick-reaper
Summary: She leaned in and kissed him...caressing his lips with her breath...Then she stopped and looked him in the eye, panting just slightly. He whispered. “Slow down, would you? I’m not going anywhere..." And she wanted badly to believe that. R
1. Still

_This is my first ever EVER upload! It's based on Kelly Clarkson's BE STILL, which I absolutely love. Hope y'all enjoy it!!_

* * *

Headlights flashed through the dark expanse, then settled on the trail as the truck lifted slightly, then settled back down on the trail. The road was a bumpy and one, and the truck's occupants had been jolted and tossed in their seats for the past hour. But the purpose of the journey was special and the reward would be worth it.

The reward? The endless stretch of black above, the massive sea of lights that twinkled down at them; clusters of bright blue, sprinkles of crimson red….an ocean of stars.

The headlights finally dimmed and the driver's door swung open with a mild squeak. The man hopped out with a soft grunt and immediately made his way to the other side of the vehicle.

No need.

The other door swung open as well and a firm, but kind voice floated from the vehicle. "You don't have to open the door for me you know. I have hands."

"Rukia," The man said, a hint of irritation in his voice as he reached the open door. "It's not that simple…"

"Opening a door?" The woman teased. "I dare say it is." And she hopped down anyway.

The soft sloshing sound was a clearly audible in the quiet night.

"Ichigo, I'm in mud!"

"Exactly! I told you it wasn't that simple. You never listen to me."

"Get me out and stop complaining."

"Hold still, I'll carry you…"

He lifted her into his strong arms and she held on to him, her frail pale arms around his neck. She could feel his chest rising and falling with each breath that floated gently unto her head, tickling her slightly.

"You smell nice." She finally said meekly as he carried her to the crest of the hill. He smiled at how small her voice sounded.

"Thank you." He replied. "You don't smell so bad yourself." The scent of apples and cinnamon rose from her petite body and Ichigo wanted to bury his face in her and breathe her into his senses. But he restrained himself. Anyway, she would punch him off with those painful tiny fists of hers.

They eventually reached the top and Ichigo reluctantly set the girl down unto the soft, grassy ground.

"Sit down." Ichigo ordered gently and he unclasped the flask of water attached to his belt, going down on his knees.

Rukia watched in mild shock and humility as he pulled her sandals off and commenced to wash her muddy feet. The water was cold to the skin and Rukia shuddered slightly as he allowed a steady stream to fall with one hand and rubbed the mud off gently with the other.

"Thank you." Rukia mumbled, embarrassed by the show of affection. Would she ever get used to this 'boyfriend' thing? Three months and she was still a bit unused to the idea.

"I take it you've never heard the proverb, 'look before you leap' —OW!" Ichigo said as Rukia punched him on the shoulder.

They moved away from the wet patch and laid themselves over the flat of the hill, melting into each other's arms like they had been created for that very purpose. Ichigo's arms pulled her small frame from behind closer into the spooning position, and she lay there, her tiny digits clasping unto his stronger fingers, feeling a bit awkward but happier than she had ever thought possible.

"Comfortable?" Ichigo asked.

Rukia only nodded.

Time seemed to slow to a still, as they gazed up the star-flooded heavens, thinking private thoughts about each other…most bordering on happiness, satisfaction and small traces of uncertainty.

"What d'you think?" Ichigo finally whispered, snapping Rukia out of her musings.

"Hm?"

"The stars…" He said quietly. "They make a person feel small don't they?"

Again, Rukia only nodded.

Ichigo was quiet for a while, and then he asked "What are you thinking about?"

Rukia hesitated. Then she said softly, "Just wondering about this."

"Hm?"

"This—us." She clarified, her tone reluctant and regretful. "You know this can't last forever. We belong to different worlds. You belong to this one, I do not. Do you ever think about what will happen when I have to return to mine?"

Ichigo said nothing. Then he muttered, "You worry too much."

"You worry too little." She replied stubbornly.

He turned her around so that she was facing him and he could stare past her raven colored hair into her eyes.

"I don't want to worry about 'this' ending." He told her gently. "Not yet."

"Despite its inevitability?"

"Despite its inevitability."

Rukia's eyes searched his in wonder. "I don't understand."

Ichigo just gave her a small smile. "Let it go, Rukia."

Rukia swallowed, and then said very, very softly. "You're an idiot Kurosaki Ichigo."

"Maybe." He smirked. "But: better a happy idiot than a miserable one right? I just want to be with you. Can't you meet me half-way on this?"

Rukia stared at this boy with a mess of orange hair and wondered what exactly he saw in this relationship...or in her. Who was this wonderful creature that wanted to be with her so badly that he would gladly delude himself for her sake?

Rukia pursed her lips for a moment. Then she leaned in and kissed him so tenderly Ichigo could barely feel her lips against his. Then she leaned in some more, and her hands traveled up to his neck, kissing a little deeper…breathing hard on his face.

Ichigo grunted in surprise when she gently shoved him unto his back and climbed on, exploring his mouth with hers, slowly but strongly. Suddenly she pulled away, and planted a kiss on his jaw line, trailing down to his neck. Her hands slipped beneath his thin cotton shirt and very carefully, very hesitantly ran her fingers up….and then down the well defined muscles of his stomach. Finally, she fused her lips with his one last time, letting through a lengthy longing sigh, caressing Ichigo's lips with her breath…

Then she stopped and looked him in the eye, panting just slightly, a little embarrassed by her temporary loss of control.

Ichigo was dazed, but he managed a tiny smile and a breathless whisper. "Slow down, would you? I'm not going anywhere."

And Rukia badly wanted to believe this. But she knew she shouldn't. It would be irresponsible of her to even think she could have this blessing. She didn't belong here…she didn't belong to this world…

But…

Perhaps she could pretend?

Silently, she laid her head on his chest and felt the rise and fall, tiny fingers clutching to his shirt…as though she was clutching to this moment, willing it not to end. Not yet.

Perhaps she could pretend just for this evening that he really was hers. And that the people back home would not appear some day with their swords and rules and laws, to come for her.

She could pretend.

Moments crawled past. Minutes, hours, eternities… Rukia soon lost her sense of time and eventually, the rhythmic movement of Ichigo's body slowed considerably.

Was he asleep?

Rukia swallowed hard and fought the tears that welled up at the corners of her eyes. She just kept silent and listened to the sound of his breathing.

Ichigo was right. This was what she wanted, all that mattered right now. She didn't want to think about tomorrow, she didn't want to think about inevitability. All she wanted was this impossibly perfect moment by his side.

All she wanted was to be still.

_------------------_

_So what d'you think? Please review on your way out. If you're nice, I'll upload some more *wink* LOL._


	2. Catalyst

_Hi, it's me again. This time I've written a story based on Anna Nalick's "Catalyst", another song I love listening to. I recommend it if you like slow sentimental acoustics. :D_

_Anyway, okay, so this story is not a personal best for me. But I think there are some stories that are just fighting to break free, and it's only when you write them down can you get around to writing other stuff._

_I did enjoy writing it though and I hope you enjoy reading it. Have fun!_

* * *

The raven-haired woman stood at the window, looking past the torrents of rain that crashed against the window and slid down the glass in crystal layers. Past the pouring rain, the night was too black for comfort.

When was_ he_ coming home? How many nights like this was she going to have to suffer through?

She turned to stare despondently at the supper waiting for her husband: two cups of ramen noodle. She had microwaved the noodles a first time, but she was sure they had grown cold by now. It was funny how much more miserable something as insignificant as that made her feel.

But she had grown used to it. Grown used to the helplessness that enveloped her heart every time she thought of how low he and her had sunk in their lives together. Before, about a year ago, she had sincerely believed that love really did conquer all. She had believed loving him would make everything work out. But now she was rapidly learning that sometimes love was simply not enough.

And she was learning the hard way.

So in her hand she held an envelope. It was a thick envelope, and she felt guilty just by the weight of it in her hand. He couldn't ever see it. Not now. It would break his heart.

A knock disrupted her thinking, and she turned to stare at the door, a sick hopeless feeling suddenly filling her. He was behind that door. Quickly she rushed into the bedroom to hide the envelope, then quickly rushed back. Who had imagined it was possible to want and not want to see someone so badly at the same time?

The woman sighed, walking slowly towards the knocking.

And then she opened the door.

She stared at _him_…standing in the hallway…soaking wet… He stared back at her, with the same wounded but inviting eyes she had fallen in love with so long ago.

She opened her mouth to speak, hesitated, then whispered "You're late."

Ichigo looked through his dripping bangs at her, panting from the run through the rain. "I'm sorry Rukia. The storm brewed faster than I expected."

Rukia nodded slowly.

"I'm sorry." He repeated, panting some more. And Rukia just stared.

He looked so tired. His eyes could still hold her spellbound, but they were duller than they should have been…less vibrant. He was slouching against the frame of the door, bent with the stress of any interning paralegal. And his hair was messier than usual; auburn orange-streaked hair stuck out at angles it shouldn't have. He looked so, so tired.

So Rukia stepped up to him and slipped her arms around his body, trying to embrace him as fully as her small arms would allow her.

"Are you okay?" Ichigo asked down at her, concerned. This was an unusual for her.

"Mfoovoomfmmmm." She mumbled incoherently into his shirt.

"Speak up." Ichigo laughed, "What are you a munchkin?" Gently he held her face back so he could look at her properly. To his confusion, she was frowning up at him.

Before he could shield himself, Rukia pounded his chest with a fist!

"What?" he coughed, surprised.

"Do you have the faintest idea how worried I was??" she said, and punched him again!

"Ow!!"

"I don't know if you realize it, but people foresaw situations like this and invented a little something called _the _telephone!"

Actually, the storm had disrupted most forms of telecommunication, but Ichigo decided it wasn't worth mentioning.

"Weapons of mass destruction, that's what your fists are." Ichigo grumbled good-naturedly. "The UN ought to ban them." Then with one arm, he hoisted the petite woman up and slung her over his shoulder!

"Put me down!" she squealed as he kicked the door wider and sauntered into their apartment.

Ichigo tossed his briefcase into a sofa chair, and then dumped his wife into the couch.

"Are you crazy??" Rukia said from the beaten cushions, trying with all her might not to laugh. "Don't even try to—"

But his lips were already crushed against hers. And then pulling away and sinking next to her in the seat, he threw an arm around her and drew her into a hug.

"I've missed you." He whispered into her face.

She pushed at him playfully, all her worries suddenly forgotten. "You say that every night. You don't honestly think I still believe you, do you? That you miss me _every_ day?"

"That's impossible to believe?"

"It is." She said simply.

"You don't miss me?"

"Hardly." Rukia said with a sarcastic sniff. "Being here alone for fifteen hours every day with nothing to do but watch the cars drive by is riveting."

Ichigo looked grim for a moment. Their tiny, albeit purposeful television set had broken about a week ago. Rukia had never particularly enjoyed the overly dramatic soap operas, but now she was simply dying without her day time television.

Rukia was suddenly sorry she had made the joke. "Forget it. Do you want to have supper?"

"What's for supper?" Ichigo asked. The question was out of habit, not curiosity. He knew what they were having. He knew what they had been having for the past month.

"Ramen." Rukia said stiffly, trying not to let Ichigo hear the self-loathing that tinged her tone. Not that it was even her fault.

"Chicken flavor?" Ichigo asked, with a cheeriness that—to Rukia's surprise—sounded remarkably genuine. This for some reason, only made her feel worse.

"Beef." She corrected dully.

"Even better."

Rukia looked at him for a long time. Then she said quietly, "No it's not Ichigo." And she got up to heat the cups again.

The steady hum of the microwave filled the sullen atmosphere that had possessed the room after Rukia's frank comment. Ichigo waited for his food, for the first time that night, looking very unhappy. His eyes remained fixed on their bare floor, and his lips were pursed in a thin discouraging line. Rukia had obviously been a little too frank.

The petite woman watched her husband from the kitchenette and hated herself for breaking his spirit. Why couldn't she have just played along? Like everything was alright? Like cereal for breakfast and ramen for supper were perfectly fine?

Rukia made up her mind to switch her mood the second she returned to him with the steaming cups. But as it were, fate had quite a different agenda.

At that exact moment that Kurosaki Rukia had made that decision, the microwave suddenly stopped and the world was cast into darkness.

Rukia froze and her words were rigid when she asked. "Ichigo, what's going on?" It was so inky black, she couldn't see her hands in front of her face.

Ichigo's voice came from the direction of the furniture. "The storm's probably cut the power. It's a blackout."

Rukia silently processed this information for two seconds. Then she cracked as she yelled an anguished "DAMMIT!!"

"Rukia, are you okay??!" Ichigo's voice came again, sounding alarmed.

"Yes, yes. I'm sorry, it's just…" Her speaking came to a furious decline and she seethed, blindly feeling for the microwave door, and taking out their cups of ramen. The food was lukewarm at best.

Rukia managed to find her way back to the couch. By then, Ichigo had found a battery-powered lamp and soon, their living room was illuminated by a weak white light.

"It's not hot." Rukia muttered apologetically, handing Ichigo his ramen.

The orange-haired man received his food quietly and snapped his chopsticks apart. "Thank you." He said, and dug in.

They ate in silence for the next few minutes.

Finally Ichigo whispered hoarsely "Four months."

Rukia looked up into his eyes.

"Just four months Rukia." Ichigo said a little clearer. "Four months and this internship will be over. Then I'll be paid for my work." He placed a hand on her face. "And I'll buy us better food. I'll move us out of this tiny place and we'll be happy. I swear."

The guilt that flooded Rukia was immeasurable. "I'm happy with you." She managed to mumble.

"You're just saying that."

"No, I am." She said again, and this time she even believed herself. She put down her ramen and drew nearer to him. "I just hate that you gave up your dream of writing to work in a firm. Taking law in college? A four year college detour? Then a marriage? You gave up everything to work in that stupid place. And I know you hate working there. Your optimism doesn't fool me. You're a horrible actor."

"Darn, I thought I had you fooled there." Ichigo said, trying to smile.

"Please don't smile." Rukia sighed. "I don't like being your burden, don't you understand that?"

"You're not a burden Rukia." Ichigo said more firmly. "And it's only four more months."

Four more months. He made them sound so simple. But could they really survive four more months on the rest of their savings…_his_ savings. Rukia had gone over the numbers today. Finances had never looked so bleak.

Rukia didn't know what else to say. So she just finished her ramen and stretched herself on the couch, resting her head in Ichigo's laps.

Ichigo's hand moved automatically to run its fingers through the rich dark hair on her head.

"No choice I've ever made about you is regrettable, Rukia." Ichigo told her, wanting her to believe him. But her eyes still stared up skeptically. "Maybe the only thing I regret," Ichigo continued. "is that I didn't tell you how I feel about you sooner. Maybe then I could have made things better."

"Stop it." Rukia said, annoyed.

"Stop what?"

"Just stop it."

"But I mean it."

Rukia was getting very angry. "Just shut up, okay?"

Ichigo shrugged, unfazed. "I don't see how that'll change the truth."

Rukia wanted to hit him. But before she could, Ichigo had caught her hand and leaned over her.

He kissed her upside down so hard he took her breath away. Rukia tried to shove him off, but he wouldn't budge. So she just stopped struggling and let him do his thing, refusing to cooperate.

Ichigo eventually gave up and took his mouth of hers. "Meanie." He taunted with a mock pout.

Rukia shook her head at him. "You're such a baby." She whispered. Then she reached for his collar and tugged him in again.

They kissed for longer this time, and soon, clothes were dropping to the floor piece by piece. Lip lock soon transformed into something much more intimate on the couch and by the time they were finished, Rukia was trembling slightly, her breath heavy and irregular.

She swallowed, panting, then placed her head on his chest.

"I'm…" Pant. "…still…" Pant. "…mad at you." Rukia gasped, trying to catch her breath.

"I know." Ichigo said, panting too. He closed his eyes and hugged her close. "Can't you be angry at me tomorrow instead?"

"I suppose." Rukia whispered in a way that sounded like she hadn't considered it before.

They laid still in the darkness and listened to the rain outside for several minutes, thinking. Rukia thought of today…and of tomorrow…and the day after that; she thought of the future. She thought of how much she wanted this to work, and how she would do anything to have Ichigo come home to something (anything) other than store discount ramen. Then she looked up slightly and wondered what Ichigo was thinking.

By then the rain was barely a whisper of a roar, and its end was foreseeably near. Eventually, all was still and the quiet was defeaning. Ichigo's light snoring was now just audible.

Rukia smiled to herself. Very, very tentatively, she eased out of his hold and rose from the couch, slipped back into her jeans and bra, then grabbed the lamp and tiptoed to the bedroom.

From beneath the bed, she dragged a large envelope out and sat on the floor. Carefully, she opened it up again for the second time that night and poured out a pile of cut up newspaper pieces. Then she began to wistfully look at the unemployment section. She wasn't educated with the knowledge of this world but there had to be _something_ she could do.

She read about cooking jobs, and cleaning jobs. Cashier jobs, teaching jobs and oh…that babysitting job didn't sound so hard.

Rukia browsed through her hoard of unemployment slips till her eyes began to burn.

Slowly, the night slipped away and soon in spite of herself, Rukia was beginning to feel sleepy. I'll just lie down for a while, she told herself groggily, sprawling out on her bedroom floor. In minutes, she too was gone, completely overtaken by exhaustion. She slept deeply.

The two slept soundly through the night, in different locations, dreaming different dreams. But that night, somewhere in their happy places, they knew they still had hope. Regardless of what would confront them, they would overcome their problems firstly because they had never been the kind to give up easily. And secondly because, they had each other and that was what mattered the most.

They slept in different places in that house, but that night…their hearts beat as one.

_EPILOGUE:_

Sometime during that night, the power returned. And with it, the phone rang continuously for about twenty seconds. But Rukia and Ichigo were in their private worlds and they didn't stir.

So the answering machine picked the call:

(Beep)

_Kurosaki Ichigo, this is J&J Law Firm. We have received positive feedback about your work and we are pleased to inform you that we are terminating your internship and should you accept, starting next week, you will be a paid employee of J&J Law Firm. We hope to hear from you in the morning. Congratulations are in order. _

(Beep)

_So that's it! I hope you enjoyed it, and if you did please review on your way out._

_I'll upload again when I can! Ciao!_


	3. Procrastination

_Heya!!! Thanks to all those who have reviewed so far! 18 reviews for only two chapters? That's really encouraging. Thanks again._

_My story this time is not based on any particular song (__. I couldn't find any song to make it work.) But I did enjoy writing it immensely though __, and I hope you will reading it! _

* * *

The raps on the door were strong and smart.

"Come in."

A head of bushy auburn hair came around the door, and its owner stared blindly into the office. Except for the slivers of silver moonlight that streamed through the blinds and the multicolored lights of surrounding skyscrapers, the darkness dominated the enormous office. It took a moment for his eyes to grow accustomed to it. But when they did, he could make out the swivel chair…the full length window…the beautiful night lights of the city below.

The employee hesitated, then spoke. "You asked for me Miss Kuchiki?"

The office chair swiveled around and a bespectacled raven beauty stared back. She had been waiting for him.

"Come in, Mr. Kurosaki." She said with her cool, composed voice.

Kurosaki Ichigo stepped into the gloomy room, closing the door behind him gently. Afterwards, he approached his boss' desk with brisk steps.

"You're working late. What are you still doing here?" Kuchiki Rukia asked her employee.

"I was just re-evaluating our account balance for tomorrow's executive meeting." Ichigo answered.

Rukia nodded slowly. "Good. You know I can't stand procrastination."

"I know." Ichigo replied simply.

"Has everyone gone home yet?"

"Except for the night janitors," Ichigo said. "We're the only ones left on this floor."

Rukia nodded again. And then she leaned forward and clasped her hands together. "We need to talk, Ichigo." She said. This time, she had discarded the formality.

"Fire away." He answered. So had he.

Rukia took a deep breath. Then she said, "Ichigo, we have to stop meeting secretly."

Ichigo smiled. "Hey, _you_ called _me_ in."

"Only so I could tell you we have to stop this madness." Rukia defended herself, rising up in her annoyance. "We could get caught."

Ichigo shrugged. "Or maybe we won't."

"We could be humiliated!"

"Or we could decide not to care."

"We could get _fired_." Rukia said, using her trump card of good reason.

"Or no one will give a damn." Ichigo rolled his eyes. "You're the head of this department and I'm your personal assistant, Rukia. It's not like when we were just greenhorns."

"Either way, we need to stop this."

"Okay." Ichigo said a little too quickly.

"I'm serious!"

"You always are." Ichigo smirked. "But then every time we have this conversation, we just end up half naked under your desk again. You were serious last month. And last week. And yesterday. And this afterno—"

"Okay okay okay." Rukia interrupted irritably before he could get any further. She bowed her head, folded her arms and fumed. "God, I hate procrastination. We should have stopped these office incidents ages ago."

"Hey," Ichigo said, coming closer. "If you really want to stop this so badly, all you have to do is look me in the eye and tell me. And I swear," He caught her gaze meaningfully. "We'll stop."

Rukia looked at him with vulnerable eyes. "You mean it?"

Ichigo placed his hands on her shoulders, saying softly. "Scout's honour."

They stared into each others' eyes for one loving heartfelt moment. Then Rukia's eyes popped open in realization, and she shoved him off. "Stop it!"

Ichigo let go of her, utterly surprised. "What? What did I do?"

"You're doing that thing again!" Rukia accused furiously, like she had just foiled his evil scheme. "You're doing that thing with your eyes!"

"Wha—huh? What thing??" Ichigo sputtered, amused and incredulous.

"Th-th-the thing!" Rukia stammered, making strange gestures at her eyes with her hands. "The cute puppy dog eyes that trap me every time! They're why I keep failing at this, why I keep falling into your temptations! You sly red-headed little _demon_!"

Ichigo blinked at the insult. Then lost a bit of his temper as well. "That was _not_ intended to seduce you! Maybe that's your problem! You need to get your mind out of the gutter, dammit!"

Rukia drew nearer, teeth gritted. "_My_ mind out of the gutter? Who was the one who suggested saving the whipped cream covered doughnuts for this afternoon?"

"Well," Ichigo countered. "Who was the one who wanted to try it in the vice president's office last week?"

"Well, who ambushed me in the bathroom last month?" Rukia responded, drawing nearer in anger, trying desperately to win this argument.

"That was _you_."

"No it wasn't!"

"Yes, it was! I had just stepped in when your hand flew out of the first stall and dragged me in, remember?"

Here, Rukia was speechless. Then she gave up and grumbled half-heartedly. "Still: whipped cream."

"Face it, we can't keep our hands off each other." Ichigo declared.

"Maybe _you_ can't!" Rukia argued, for arguing sake.

"Oh, really?" Ichigo said drawing a step nearer.

Rukia automatically took a step back. "Stay back!" She squealed.

"See! Just admit it!" Ichigo took another step forward.

"I said stay back!!"

"No." Ichigo said stubbornly.

And a chase ensued. The orange haired employee chased his raven-haired employer round and round the office, and they shushed, and laughed, and leapt over chairs and tables.

Finally, and quite predictably, Ichigo caught up with Rukia, and he threw his arms around her, grabbing her by the waist. They stumbled and fell in the struggle, and soon they were pseudo-wrestling on the velvet carpets…then they were touching…then they were kissing…

After thirty minutes of passionate activity, the two persons sat against the mahogany desk and panted hard, sweat glistening off their faces.

"Why did they have to promote me right after we got engaged?" Rukia grumbled as she breathed heavily, nestling against Ichigo's arm. Speaking the words, she stared wistfully at the moderately sized rock on her ring finger.

"Well, you made me your personal assistant." Ichigo said. "At least that way the gap isn't huge. It's not weird, is it?"

"It's _very_ weird." Rukia scowled.

They sat in the darkness and held each other close, listening to the distant whines and horns of the city outside. Finally Rukia looked up at her fiancé.

"But you realize we're still going to stop this sleeping around in the office, right?" she said confidently. "We _do_ have homes you know? And bedrooms."

"Uh-huh." Ichigo consented, a little too quickly.

"I'm serious!"

"We will, we will." Ichigo grinned.

"We're going to be responsible." Rukia muttered, resting her head back on his arm. "And we're going to keep our word. We're going to stop this procrastination."

Ichigo smiled down at her dark hair. "Okay, we will." Then he added slyly. "Tomorrow."

Rukia shook her head without looking up. But she agreed. _Tomorrow._

And neither of them believed that.

* * *

_And voila! I hope you enjoyed it! This short fic was supposed to be my fourth entry, but the third one was getting longer than I expected so I decided to upload this one first._

_Thanks so much for reading! And I hope you spare some time to review on your way out!_

_PS: And oh, if you have any song suggestions for this fic, let me know in your review. Ciao!!!_


	4. Reconsidered

_It's been a while since I updated these oneshots. But I was listening to a song and liked it very much so I decided to write on it. This was what I was supposed to submit before the chapter Procrastination. _

_The song I used is by Gavin Degraw and it's called "Over-rated" (the Stripped version). The song means a lot to me because it's true that when you're in love, everything else seems to matter very little, and everything else seems to be over rated. _

_When you have time, you could check it out (though you might not want to listen to the Stripped version first since it's so slow) _

**Disclaimer: I neither own Bleach, nor do I own the lyrics of "Over-rated" by Gavin Degraw. If I did, "Over-rated" would be a Bleach ending theme song. Seeing as it is not, I do not. :)**

* * *

Eyes closed, lips pursed, _strum…_twist…_strum_…twist…

The sound of his guitar rose and fell as he twisted pegs and plucked at strings.

The darkness waited patiently, light muttering rising up from within it. And finally, he lifted up his head to bring his lips to the microphone. Softly he spoke: "This is a favorite of mine. Enjoy." And with words that simple, he lowered the mike and took a seat.

There was silence for a moment. But then suddenly, a melody floated out from his instrument as he began to play. Expertly, his fingers danced over strings and his voice reached for notes. The music ceased the room immediately; every soul was hushed in astonishment as he leaned in and sang the first words:

_Take my home…._

_ Take everything I own…. _

_Take it, take control_

_You will feel better, you will feel whole_

No one noticed the raven-haired woman glide in silently through the doors of the café. Her petite figure moved noiselessly around chairs and tables till it found a booth hidden away in a dark corner. But she did not sit down. Instead, she watched the man on the stage. And she was captivated.

_You're so good_

She slipped out of her coat and carefully sat down, not taking her eyes of him for one second.

_You stopped me where I stood_

Suddenly, it wasn't just the music that had her captivated.

_And let me look at love_

Mesmerized, she watched the orange-haired man pour his heart out with that guitar.

_And I feel better_, he sang, his voice laden with promise. _Oh I feel good…_ And in that magical moment, he looked up to meet her eyes as he sang the chorus:

_I just want to give, _he promised, _it all to you_

_I want to share this with you_

_Make you mine and mine, _he swore sincerely, _will be all yours_

_Whatever you want and more_

_And I'm anticipating_

_Everything else will be over-rated_

_Baby, _he assured softly, _it's for you. It's all for you._

And it was in this moment that the woman knew she wanted to be a part of his world. She wanted to be the one who made him smile, and the one who kissed his tears away when he cried. She wanted to be the first thing he thought of when he woke up, and the last thing he dreamt of when he went to bed. She wanted to be everything he wanted, and everything he needed.

She wanted to be his new song.

When he was done, the room exploded with applause. The musician stepped down from the stage and walked towards only one table, only one person.

"Rukia?" He said when he had reached her.

Rukia swallowed. "Ichigo…"

Their eyes remained locked and they stared for the longest while.

Finally Rukia said softly. "I reconsidered. Yes, Ichigo. I will marry you."

* * *

_And that's it. I really hope you liked it (after all, I post them especially for you guys. Or else they'd just remain on my hard drive and stay there till they rot. Which is no fun at all :( )_

_Review please. Thank you! Till my next update…eat your vegetables (no, broccoli is not really an alien species sent to take over the world as a certain trio of fingerless girls would have us believe. My baby cousin still won't touch the stuff. Thank you very much Cartoon Network)_


	5. Rookie

_NOTE: I've submitted this story in two different locations. Firstly, in my "One Shots of a Love Sick Reaper" story (because it's a one-shot and um…my user name's the love-sick-reaper :D), and secondly as an individual story called "The Rookie and the King" because it seems a lot different from the pieces I usually upload. _

_This story is a bit of a deviation from the kind I usually post on this website. I think so far, I have mostly submitted romantic short pieces and drama scenes. This time though, I'm submitting something a little different. Not only is this a lot longer than my previous submissions, it's also got a little more language and a more serious air about it._

_(So if you are reading this from "One Shots of a Love Sick Reaper", you can always skip it and read the next romantic one-shot if you want. But I'd be so happy if you read it either way. Oh, you will? Yay!)_

_Also, just in case you were wondering, this story was inspired by __**Rookie Blue **__which I think is a pretty good TV show. But there are hints of romance I managed to stuff in here along with it. _

_To cut my rambling short, I worked really hard on this piece and I hope you enjoy it. :D_

_Have fun!_

**Disclaimer: If I owned Bleach, this story would be a filler episode or short OVA. Seeing as it is not, I do not. ;)**

* * *

The gleaming SUV swung sharply into the parking lot, parking abruptly between two cars. The door opened up, and out of it, a man with carrot coloured hair stepped out, his mirrored shades gleaming in the morning sun. He slammed the SUV shut and with the push of a button, locked it up. Then he sauntered confidently up the stairs of the Karakura Police Station. He had work to do.

"Mornin' Captain Kurosaki" Asano Keigo greeted cheerily from behind the front desk. "How was your weekend?"

"I've had better." Kurosaki Ichigo said as he whipped off his shades and picked up a pen to sign in. "You?"

"My mom came over." The young lieutenant replied. "I think she and Chizuru are really beginning to bond."

"Uh-huh." Ichigo muttered, only half listening. "Anything interesting happen yet?"

"Well," said Keigo, pulling open a drawer and picking out a sheet of paper. "I did get an interesting call this morning; a tip off. I wasn't sure whether to take it seriously. You know there're a lot of crazy folks out there." He handed the sheet to Kurosaki, who glanced at the information it held. "But I knew you'd want to hear about it either way so…"

Ichigo read the report and his jaw tightened only slightly. He smiled a dark sort of smile at Keigo, "You're the best, man. I'll check it out."

"Also," Keigo added. "The Chief of the Rukongai Police Department is paying us a visit today."

"Chief Kuchiki?" Ichigo asked, then muttered. "There's still an aftertaste in my mouth from kissing his ass the last time he came by. Huh! Good thing I won't be here then." He opened up his palm and Keigo handed him the keys to his squad car. "I'll see you when I get back."

"Speaking of Kuchiki," Keigo said slyly. "The other one's been waiting for you by the squad car since seven."

Ichigo sighed, and put his shades back on. "It's going to be a long day."

000

Kuchiki Rukia chewed nervously on her lip as she awaited her superior officer. It had already been a week since she had been assigned to Captain Kurosaki for patrol duty. But she still developed a nauseating feeling of dread at the pit of her stomach every time their patrol was about to begin.

Captain Kurosaki hated her. She was sure of it. The very first morning they had patrolled together, Kurosaki Ichigo had introduced himself with:

"I am not your babysitter. I am not here to hold your hand or provide any kind of emotional comfort. People die doing this job every day, so you can imagine how concerned I am that you seem to be only tall enough to tackle a little league quarterback. And even then, I'm not so sure. You will act like the officer you are and contribute to the apprehension of any and all law-breaking scumbag. If you cannot do so, then you had best stay out of my way. Because if you don't," He had paused to take a deep breath, before finishing. "I will take you down right along with them."

Rukia had listened, stunned. At that moment, she had wanted so badly to dig her fist into the arrogant man's mid-section. But she had mustered unfathomable self-control, leaving her balled up fists to tremble uselessly at her sides.

Oh yes, Captain Kurosaki most likely couldn't stand her.

It didn't help that her brother-in-law was the Chief of Police. Sure, Big Brother was Chief of Police of a _different _department but nobody cared. As far as ninety per cent of her department was concerned, she had only made it into the force because of her 'affiliations'. Rukia had heard that Kurosaki had grown up in the streets. He'd worked damned hard to make it into the force. It wouldn't surprise her if as far as the orange haired captain was concerned, she was a waste of uniform fabric.

Also, one time when they were in the car, the captain had caught her doodling in her notebook. Why? Why had she chosen to draw those bunnies at that exact moment he leaned over to get some gum from the glove compartment? Stupid, stupid, stupid! Now he probably thought she was some air-headed pansy with the maturity of a six-year old.

Rukia leaned against the squad car and sighed. Not that she cared anyway. She joined the force to protect and serve. Not to impress cute police captains. Whoa! Did she just call him _cute_ in her head? Ew, ew, ew, ew, ew!

Rukia was just mentally washing her mind with bleach, when she heard quick, confident footsteps approaching her from behind.

She whirled around just in time, barely catching the bunch of keys that came flying her way.

"Get in the car, Kuchiki." Ichigo ordered, getting into the passenger seat. "You're driving today."

Rukia blinked. Then quickly, she shook off her uncertainty and hopped into the driver's seat.

"The usual rounds?" she asked, as she sparked the car.

"No," Ichigo mumbled, reading something off the sheet in his hand. "Today, we're going on a little field trip."

Rukia nodded, and stepped on the accelerator. The car revved up, but didn't move an inch.

Ichigo sighed. "Your handbrake's engaged, Kuchiki."

Rukia felt her face burn in embarrassment. "I'm sorry, I'm just nervous." Forgetting to ease up on the accelerator, she pushed the handbrake down. The car leapt forward and roared down the street.

Rukia waited for the rebuke from Ichigo, but none came. The Captain seemed particularly preoccupied with whatever was on that sheet of paper.

"Turn right here and take the second turn on your right." Ichigo instructed without even looking up from his sheet. He continued to give instructions, and Rukia continued to follow them until after a thirty minute drive, they came to an old weathered building.

The windows of the building were either shattered or boarded up, and broken neon lights spelled out TOYS on the side of its walls. It was an abandoned toy warehouse.

Ichigo finally looked up from his sheet and stuffed it in his front pocket. "Park in there." he said, pointing to the alley opposite the building.

Rukia did as she was told.

"Do you know what we're doing here, Kuchiki?" Ichigo asked, even though he knew she didn't.

She shook her head. "No, sir."

"Ever heard of the Kingfisher?" Ichigo asked.

Rukia frowned, trying to remember. And then she did. Her jaw dropped. "The serial killer?"

Ichigo nodded at the warehouse. "We got a tip today that said he might be hiding out in there."

Rukia's jaw dropped further. "In there? Like, just across the street from us?"

Ichigo nodded and got out of the car. He drew his automatic. "Wait here." And Rukia watched him bound across the street and enter the abandoned warehouse.

Rukia's heart began to pound. There was a real live serial killer right across the street from her? What the hell! She had only been an officer for about a month now. She was still a rookie for God's sake! And Kurosaki had her chasing serial killers? Fuck.

What if the serial killer snuck up on her in the car? Simultaneously, Rukia turned her head and reached for her holster. Both the backseat and her gun were safe and intact. Rukia sighed with relief…

"Hey!"

The rookie officer jumped so high, she banged her head on the ceiling. The passenger door opened up and Ichigo sat back down. Whew, it was just the Captain.

"There was an old sedan in there but otherwise it was empty." Ichigo said, and then grumbled. "Stupid prank tips. Are you okay? You look like you've seen a damn ghost."

Rukia only shook her head and took deep breaths.

Ichigo folded his arms and muttered "Let's go. This was a fuckin' waste of time."

Rukia wondered why the captain was so upset. They got calls from hundreds of would-be informants every day, so why did this particular one bother him so much?

But Rukia didn't ask any questions. She just started the car and hit the gas pedal. This time, she didn't forget the handbrake.

They had barely driven three blocks away when Ichigo smacked her hard on the shoulder ("Ouch!"), and waved erratically at something in the street. "Look, look!"

Rukia pulled over by the curb and took a good look at whatever it was her captain was so excited about. Rukia's eyes widened. It wasn't a what. It was a '_who'_.

Coming from up the street, was a bald headed man with a stubble beard. His eyes had dark bags beneath them, as if he hadn't had a good night's rest in ages. And maybe he hadn't—it depended on whatever it was he was on; heroin, crystal meth, crack… He was cloaked in dark garments and he'd hung his head to avoid recognition. But you could still make out the ugly scar that ran the length of his face.

"My eyes aren't screwing with me, right?" Ichigo asked, wanting to make sure.

Rukia nodded hard and shuddered. "It's hard to hide that scar, sir."

It was the Kingfisher. He'd tried hard to change his appearance with the haircut and the stubble, but he was still recognizable. The giant scar wasn't helping either. It was definitely him.

"I thought so." Ichigo opened the door and put a foot out. "Don't panic. No sudden movements. I'm just gonna go over real slow and…SHIT!"

Kingfisher had spotted them and now he was running like heck!

Ichigo swung his feet back in and screamed "MOVE, MOVE, MOVE!"

Rukia floored the gas pedal and the tires squealed bloody murder before lurching them forward with incredible speed.

Ichigo started their siren and picked up the radio "Dispatch, this is G24. We have a code 6. Requesting back up. I repeat, requesting back up. Over."

The radio crackled. _'G24, I've contacted G17 and 19. Your backup's on the way. Over'_

"He's turning the corner!" Ichigo shouted. "Turn left, turn left!"

But Rukia panicked and tried to turn too late. Another car nearly run into them and Rukia had to swing the car away from danger. They missed their turn.

"Forget it," Ichigo said quickly, still hanging on to hope. "We'll turn at the next street and catch him by surprise."

Their car roared down the street and came up to the next turn. Rukia tried to turn in…

_HONK!_ A speeding Buick protested.

Gritting her teeth, Rukia swung them away from danger a second time and in seconds, they had missed their turn again.

"DAMMIT KUCHIKI! WHAT THE FUCK?" Ichigo yelled, "SWITCH SEATS! NOW!"

To Rukia's surprise and utter embarrassment, Ichigo moved on top of her and she had to squeeze her way underneath so they could switch seats…whilst the car still rocketed down the street!

With expert hands, Ichigo guided the car into an impossibly sharp u-turn right in the middle of the two lane street. Then stepping on it, he sent them roaring back up the street they'd come down.

But after about five minutes of scouring the neighbourhood, the bald headed murderer was nowhere to be seen. They had lost him.

"Dammit, Rukia." Ichigo sighed for the thousandth time as he drove around. The sound of the backup squad cars whined in the distance, and Rukia wanted her seat to swallow her. She knew the captain was going to make her tell the other officers herself that they had lost the perpetrator, and she didn't want to. She was already infamous for being a screw up as it was.

"I'm sorry." Rukia mumbled.

"I don't need you to be sorry." Ichigo grumbled. "I need you not to have missed that left turn the second friggin' time."

"I'm not a magician." Rukia defended.

"No you aren't." Ichigo rebutted bluntly, and stopped the car. "Get out. You're going to tell the guys that we lost him."

_But apparently, I _am _psychic. _Rukia thought miserably in her head. _Being a rookie sucks ass._

Humbly, she opened the door and got out of the car. Then she went over to speak to the officers.

000

When Ichigo and Rukia returned from their patrol that afternoon, the jokes were already waiting for them at the station.

"Hey, Kuchiki! I hear there's this new dance that's catching on. It's called _Brake_ dancing."

"Don't worry about it Kuchiki. You did al-right. You know…'cause you can't do lefts."

"Are you gonna ID the guy who got away, Kuchiki? Or are you just gonna draw him bunny-style for us?"

You could have heard the rambunctious laughter two blocks away. The station was having a field day! Rukia's face flushed crimson and she avoided everyone's eyes as she took her place behind her desk. _Assholes, _she thought.

"Shut up you dumb fucks!" Ichigo barked, slamming his hand on his desk. The whole room was slapped silent. "We just spent the last three hours hunting the neighbourhood for a serial killer who's wanted all over Japan! And we didn't come up with shit!" He pointed out their window. "Somewhere out there's another innocent girl, or another clueless woman, who might end up dead today because _we _couldn't do our damn jobs! So I don't know what makes this so funny 'cause I'm sure as hell the Kingfisher' thinks it's funny too. Are you friends with the _Kingfisher_ that you share a sense of humour? Are you fuckin' _penpals_?"

Keigo's lower lip wobbled. "Geez Ichigo, we're sorry. We were just ribbing her, that's all."

"She's just a rookie dammit." Ichigo said, pointing to the raven-haired officer, who at this moment was staring up at her superior with so much surprise and a new sense of respect. "She's just doing as well as a rookie can."

"Yeah," One particularly mean officer scoffed. "Like _not_ apprehending a wanted criminal. I'll bet there was no Kingfisher to begin with. You're just a washed up hotshot, Kurosaki. "

This time there was no laughter. Just a stretch of awkward silence.

Ichigo stood up from his seat and approached his colleague. He towered over him and smirked. "You callin' me and my partner liars?"

The Ass-hole looked Ichigo right in the eye and said "I'm saying you've made this Kingfisher case personal. Just because the bastard murdered your—"

"Kuchiki!" Ichigo called, interrupting the officer before he could finish the sentence.

"Captain!" Rukia responded, already on her feet.

"Get your ass to the car." Ichigo said calmly, tossing the keys over his shoulder. "We're catching ourselves a serial killer this afternoon."

Rukia shook off her surprise and caught the keys. Then she rushed out of there to get the car started.

Ichigo glared at the audacious prick in front of him before slipping on his shades. "Just so you know…when I get back with the Kingfisher in my backseat, I'm going to punch your nose in. Just so you know."

With that, Kurosaki Ichigo turned on his heel. And he exited the police station.

000

Rukia watched from the car with anticipation as Ichigo returned from the very same warehouse they had visited earlier in the morning. This time though, he wasn't returning empty handed.

"What did you find?" Rukia asked eagerly, referring to the plastic bag in his hand.

Ichigo got in the car and showed her. There was an impressive collection of fake ID cards, passports and birth certificates inside the bag, each of them bearing the Kingfisher's unmistakably terrifying face. You had to wonder how the hell he still got across city boundaries with a face like that.

"These were in the glove compartment of the sedan I found the last time we were here." Ichigo said, shaking his head.

"You didn't check the glove compartment the first time?" Rukia asked, surprised.

"I didn't think to." Ichigo admitted, obviously angry with himself for that slipup. "Our informant was right. The Kingfisher's really hiding out in there. Shit."

There was a tense lapse in conversation.

"Should…should we call it in?" Rukia stammered.

Ichigo thought about it. "Nah," He finally said and sat back determinedly in his seat. "If we do they'll send reinforcements and if he's somewhere in the neighbourhood, we'll scare him off. The little fuck's gonna have to return for his documents, so we'll wait for that first. On first sighting, we'll call it in. Then…we'll take him down."

"Take him down." Rukia repeated, like it was a new phrase to her. "You mean we'll shoot him." It wasn't a question.

Ichigo smiled to himself. "If he resists arrest. God, I hope he resists arrest."

At this point, Rukia really wanted to ask her superior if the Kingfisher case really was a personal affair for him. But she was afraid of insulting his sense of duty (after all; officers were supposed to be equally determined to catch all criminals, weren't they? Maybe the captain was _always _this fired up)

Anyway, after Captain Kurosaki had stood up for her in the station, she felt that she'd salvaged a tiny sliver of hope for their relationship. She didn't want to risk ruining that just because she couldn't mind her own business. So she relaxed her grip on the steering wheel and sat back.

They waited.

After about half an hour of absolute silence, Ichigo finally tried to start a conversation "So…rabbits huh?"

Rukia wanted to stab herself in the hand. Was this day just going to be embarrassment after embarrassment? "Yeah…" She answered weakly. "I collect them. _Chappy _merchanise I mean. Not, you know…actual live bunnies—I mean _rabbits!_" She corrected quickly, swearing at herself in her head all the while. "You've heard of _Chappy_?"

Ichigo raised an eyebrow and shook his head.

"Well…" Rukia finished lamely, feeling like a moron. "They're cute."

"Here he comes."

Rukia was bewildered. "Chappy?"

Ichigo placed a hand on her small face and redirected her attention. Coming around the corner was a man in a grey track suit and pants. He had a full head of jet black hair—a wig obviously. And he was wearing a ridiculous pair of glasses that was supposed to make him look non-threatening. But once again, the dark ugly scar over his eye gave him away. For the second time that day, the Kingfisher was right in their sights.

Rukia felt her heart leap into her throat. "It's him." She swallowed.

They watched the killer cross the street, look over his shoulder, and then enter the abandoned building. He hadn't spotted their patrol car hidden in the dark alley right opposite him. Jackpot.

"Call it in." Ichigo said, and got out with his gun drawn. "We're going after him."

Rukia looked hesitant. "Shouldn't we wait for backup?"

But Ichigo would hear none of that. "That's five minutes we can't risk. I'm not letting this fucker get away this time."

Rukia nodded, called it in, and waited for Ichigo to get going. Her captain frowned at her. "I said _we _are going after him. Didn't you hear me?"

_We?_ Rukia's eyes flashed open. Was the captain serious? Well…he certainly wasn't smiling. Giddy with adrenalin, she got out of the car and drew her gun.

"Follow me." Ichigo said, and together, they rushed across the street and approached the building from the side.

"You come in through here and I'll try the back door." Ichigo said. "Count to ten, then move in. You got that?"

Rukia swallowed, nodded and watched Ichigo take the alternative route. Everything was moving so fast. She took a deep breath and began counting back from ten…

Whether she actually ever reached zero, to this day Rukia can't remember. All she remembers is kicking the door open and pointing her gun into the darkness. "Freeze! KPD!"

Almost immediately, bright flashes and gun shots echoed from within the building. Rukia dived for cover and stayed down.

She was in the middle of a gun fight!

Shit!

000

Ichigo dashed out of the _third_ entrance he hadn't known existed. When he had come in from the back, he had been startled to already find himself standing only a few feet away from the Man with the Scar.

Kingfisher had been a bit startled himself, and the two men had stared frozen at each other for a second. But only for a second.

Simultaneously, they had pointed their guns and started firing, each diving for cover in the process.

Bullets and sparks had flown for a brief moment, but it only took a matter of seconds for Ichigo to realize that Kingfisher had abandoned the gun fight and escaped through another exit.

Now Ichigo could see him running like heck down the alley, his feet a blur upon the concrete.

"STOP! POLICE! Son of a bitch!" Ichigo muttered in frustration before giving chase.

Kingfisher panted hard as his feet pounded against the ground, carrying him away from the angry red-haired officer as quickly as they could. In the process, he knocked a few trashcans over, hoping to slow his pursuer down.

Ichigo didn't even blink. He leapt over the rolling cans and pushed harder, regaining his speed in split seconds.

Kingfisher came to a chain fence. He scaled it.

Ichigo practically flew over it.

Against his better judgement, Kingfisher looked back. Ichigo was gaining up….fast.

"Shit!" Kingfisher swore. He ran out into the street and almost didn't see the squad car roaring towards him at full speed. When he did, he did the unexpected and changed his trajectory. He began running _towards _the speeding car.

Rukia, who was the driver of that oncoming squad car, couldn't believe her eyes when she saw the determined murderer bounding towards her. Just when she was sure she was going to kill the man, she felt the car bounce with the force of his weight on her bonnet!

Outside, Ichigo watched in disbelief as Kingfisher leapt towards the speeding car, double stepped off its bonnet and roof, and grabbed hold onto a fire escape! The criminal grunted loudly, forcing himself to climb over the handrails. And then upon success, he proceeded to run up the stairs.

Rukia almost lost control of the car from watching the incredible feat. But she turned the wheel the right way just in time, and brought the car to a screeching reverse 180 stop.

Any other criminal and Ichigo just might have let his discouragement get the better of him. But it was like Ichigo hadn't just watched the Kingfisher climb a speeding car. He simply joined Rukia, and ordered her to "STEP ON IT!"

Rukia's foot was already flooring the accelerator. "He won't enter the building. He'd only be trapped." Rukia said as she drove.

"So he's going to climb down on the other side." Ichigo added.

Rukia's voice was pure steel. "We'll cut him off at the entrance." They just needed to turn left at the next junction.

But there was no hesitation this time. She sent them screeching into the correct road, missing a school bus by inches. The car veered slightly, then steadied again as Rukia found the gear stick and bent it to her will. The engine lulled, then roared. The car shot forward!

Ichigo was impressed. Gone was the timid girl he had known for the past week. Now _this…this _was a police officer.

"I see him!" Ichigo said, and Rukia nodded. So had she. She swung sharply into another left and got them right on Kingfisher's tail.

Kingfisher was still on foot, running towards Karakura bridge with all his might. And Rukia and Ichigo realized why.

It was rush hour and the traffic on Karakura bridge was no faster than flowing molasses. There was no way they were going to be able to follow him in a car.

Rukia slammed on the brakes, and they both leapt out of the car. By now, Ichigo and Rukia could make out the promise of backup whining in the distance. But it didn't even matter. Kingfisher was obviously worn out and he was getting slower and slower. They were catching up with him fast. They were going to make it! They were going to catch the bastard!

Ichigo approached from the left, dived…and missed.

Rukia on the other hand, slammed directly into him from the right. She tackled Kingfisher _hard _to the ground and they both went toppling to the asphalt. As the two struggled for the upper hand, they rolled to the fringes of the bridge, and slammed into the steel supports.

Rukia didn't take the blow as well as the Kingfisher, and before she could fully comprehend what was happening, she had been dragged to her feet, with a gun to her neck. She had been taken hostage.

"Stand back!" Kingfisher screamed at Ichigo. "Stand back or I'll blow a hole through your girlfriend's throat! She'll look like a fuckin' water dispenser! And I ain't shittin' you!"

Ichigo stopped in his path, but still kept his gun pointed.

"Do I have to tell you to put the gun down too, motherfucker?" Kingfisher said.

"Shoot him, Captain!" Rukia screamed. "Don't listen to him! Just shoot him!"

But there wasn't a clear enough shot. And even if there was, Ichigo would never have endangered a fellow officer's life that way. He just couldn't.

Ichigo's jaw tightened, and very reluctantly, he placed the weapon on the ground and kicked it away.

"Now, let her go." Ichigo ordered.

Kingfisher grinned slyly. "As you wish" And to Ichigo's dismay, the bastard grabbed hold of Rukia…and threw her over the side of the bridge! Her scream was like a pierce to the heart.

"Kuchiki!" Ichigo cried. Without a second thought he ran with fury, seemingly towards Kingfisher. But when he actually reached the criminal he had been pursuing all day, he did the unexpected. Without even the slightest glance at Kingfisher, Ichigo ran right past him, unbuttoning his shirt…then detaching his holster…then tossing aside his shades…

With a giant leap, Ichigo put one foot on the railing….and dived after Rukia!

Down...down…down he went…through a hundred feet of emptiness…

Somewhere above him he heard the sound of shouting and gun fire. That was right before he hit the water and sunk into its depth.

He spotted her almost immediately; her petite body, her raven black hair swelling in seamless ripples, her beautiful determined face. Ichigo felt his heart leap with relief. But then he noticed something that brought the dread flooding back.

_Kuchiki! _He screamed in his head as he swam. _Kuchiki!_

Rukia wasn't moving.

000

_Rukia was dreaming. And it was such a nice dream too. She was dreaming that the cute captain in her department was hovering above her, calling her name. Not just mentioning her name. Calling it. Like it meant something to him. And then she dreamt that he was leaning forward, and kissing her…_

_Wow, that was a funny way to kiss her. It almost felt like he was blowing into her mouth._

_Hold on…this wasn't a dream!_

Rukia heaved violently, coughed up water and then gasped for breath. She opened her eyes and looked up above.

Ichigo's face was a silhouette against the fiery sunset sky. A look of relief washed over his face and he disappeared from her line of vision. She felt his strong arms coax her into a sitting position.

"Are you alright?" Ichigo asked, staring intently at her. "You gave me quite a scare there!"

Rukia nodded weakly and shivered, not sure if it was from the cold or from the fright of being tossed over a bridge.

"You're cold, aren't you?" Ichigo said, and to Rukia's astonishment, he pulled her into his arms and held her there tightly. Rukia changed her mind. This had to be a dream.

"We haven't got any blankets so this will have to do." Ichigo explained. "You could get really sick, and I wouldn't want that for any junior officers."

Rukia nodded, like this made absolute sense. But of course, it didn't. If she had been Lieutenant Asano, would he have been so willing to cuddle a guy? On the other hand…hey, who was complaining? Not her.

Rukia gazed out from her place in Ichigo's embrace and noticed that they were on the bank of the river. Not too far off, the lights of squad cars flashed blue and red upon the bridge. So back up had finally arrived huh?

"Did they get him?" Rukia mumbled into Ichigo's damp shirt.

"I don't know." Ichigo admitted. "We'll have to wait and find out later." He nodded towards the commotion up on the bridge.

Rukia was surprised. "You didn't stop him first before coming after me?"

Ichigo looked equally surprised, like he would never even think of such a thing. "No, I jumped in right after you. In the force, we really do jump off bridges when our friends do it first." He joked and looked down at her with a small smile. "Besides, we're partners, right?"

"And not just because I'm a rookie who needs to be taken care of?" Rukia asked sceptically.

Ichigo chuckled. "Well that too. But you're a damn good rookie if I ever saw one. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise."

Rukia thought about that, fighting the urge to let the words go to her head. He was just her superior after all, and this moment was probably just a temporary fluke of those ever irritating laws that governed the universe. But still…at least she was going to get one last answer out of him.

"Who did you know that the Kingfisher killed?" Rukia asked tentatively.

Ichigo only hesitated for a moment. Then he answered "My mom."

Rukia was quiet, allowing the dread to fill her stomach. Then she said "I'm sorry."

There was silence between them for a long time. When the skies began to constitute more purples than reds, Ichigo finally let go of Rukia and said "We have to go now. Before they start a search parties for us."

Rukia nodded reluctantly.

They rose from the grassy banks and began walking towards the nearest street.

"If," Rukia stuttered quite suddenly. "If it turns out that somehow Kingfisher escaped, I just want you to know that I can help you find him again. You know…if you want me to. You don't _have _to let me help you if you don't want to. But I think we make a good team. Don't you?"

She waited nervously for his answer.

Ichigo smiled down at her. "I do actually. And I'd like that." He said simply. "I'd really like that."

And then as the last traces of the sun sunk behind the horizon, and the stars began to twinkle in the night sky, the two officers walked the lone road together until finally, they had disappeared into the distance.

**THE END**

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_So…did you enjoy it? I found a lot more difficulty in ending this story than I usually do. Did I pull it off or could you tell? LOL. Either way, I'm glad to be finished with it and I hope I didn't do a bad job. Tell me what you think, will you? Click that "review" link. ;)_

_Thanks for reading! Love ya guys!_

_Until my next upload!_


	6. Miracle

_Merry Christmas everyone! I hope everyone's having as much fun this Christmas as I am. ^^ It's a beautiful kind of season isn't it? The kind that makes you so grateful for family and friends and the people you've given your heart to. _

_This is an unconventional Christmas story (what is it with me and unconventional?). But in the end, I feel that I expressed what I truly think Christmas is all about; love, blessings, and miracles._

_Enjoy! _:)

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**Miracle**

_She didn't understand…_

The truck pulled up in the dirty street, and all four doors flew open, allowing out three grunts and a sergeant. They were met with the hushed chatter and cocking firearms of two dozen soldiers—about six units of four. The sergeant scanned the darkened streets of Hueco Mundo, her determined eyes betraying worry…and concealed traces of fear. When she started to move her subordinates followed, and they made their way to the front of the gathering.

_It felt like only seconds ago that they had been celebrating their last week on duty. Only seconds ago that they had been talking about how relieved they were to be flying back home the next day. Away from this war zone…away from the madness. And then out of nowhere he had gotten to his knees, amidst cat-calls and hooting from the guys, and pulled out that tiny box. That dusty, tired, but altogether invaluable box. It felt like only seconds ago. Now though…she needed a miracle._

The sergeant marched to the three-man group that had, until she had arrived, been planning an extraction. Two of the men saluted the second they saw her. "Sergeant Kuchiki!"

The last one sighed and frowned "Fuck. I thought I told those dickwads to make sure the news never got to you."

"Noted. So it's you I'm going to castrate after this is over." Kuchiki Rukia hissed at Corporal Abarai, her eyes as cold as steel. "Will someone tell me what the fuck's going on?"

One of the other two men began the briefing "At 20 00 hours, tech intercepted a radio broadcast intended for one Zommari Rureaux—a Mundonian with a black trading record. Apparently Zommari's holding the Doc right in that building," He pointed to a plain run-down building down the street. "Our snipers opposite the building haven't succeeded in getting a clear shot. But they have confirmed intel. They…" he hesitated. "They say he's got the Doc strapped to some kind of explosive. Most likely C4."

"Fuck." one of Kuchiki's men muttered.

"How?" Rukia asked suddenly.

There was confused silence.

"Excuse me, ma'am?" the briefing private asked.

"How the _fuck_ did Zommari get his hands on him." Rukia asked darkly. "How the _fuck_ did the enemy get his hands on our own doctor? Anybody got an answer to that?"

Now, the silence was the awkward kind.

"Captain Kurosaki left camp, ma'am." the private finally explained. "He snuck down here to attend to a blast victim, a Mundonian boy."

Rukia glared down at the sandy street, furious that she couldn't even be angry at him. Still though—what kind of fuckin' moron ran away from camp to treat the civilians? Around them, the locals began to gather, curious about what all the commotion was about. Somewhere in the night air, the lilting voice of a Mundonian singer rose from a radio.

"Specialist has deemed the threat real." The private continued. "Fire team Red Apes commencing extraction in…" he glanced at his watch. "Minus 5 minutes. Corporal Abarai will be leading this team."

"Wrong." Kuchiki said frankly, stretching out her arms. Immediately one of her subordinates grabbed a flak vest off a supply truck and started fitting her with it.

"Dammit!" Abarai Renji cursed, getting in his superior's face. "I knew you were gonna commandeer this operation! The guy just fuckin' proposed to you six hours ago! You shouldn't be allowed to lead this team! You know protocol!"

"Fuck protocol." Rukia told him calmly. "Now, you may be my best friend but you're still a corporal, and I'm still a sergeant. I'm ordering you to the get the hell outta my way." She grabbed an M-16 and then shoved a handgun into her holster.

Shaking his head, Renji grabbed a rifle too. "Fine. But I'm comin' the fuck with you."

Rukia nodded and picked out two more soldiers—a bomb specialist from her team and the private who had briefed her. "You ready?" she asked Renji.

Renji nodded. "Let's bring this motherfucker down."

_Stockings. He wanted Christmas stockings over the fireplace when they went back home._

"_Wuss." Rukia had snickered. And he had looked down fondly at her, running his fingers through her raven hair._

"_Mistletoe." he added. "I want mistletoe too. I want it hanging all over the place."_

"_What the fuck for?" Rukia had asked, embarrassed by all this touchy-feely talk._

"_So I can kiss you every two seconds." He answered before planting her lips with a kiss. The bonfire crackled louder, throwing such bright orange light upon their faces._

"_What the fuck guys?" one of the other soldiers yelled from the other side of the fire, and everyone laughed and made kissing noises. "Get a room!"_

_Rukia stopped long enough to yell "That's what me and your mama did last night!"_

_The soldiers roared and laughed harder._

"_Assholes." she muttered, embarrassed because she was usually so fervently feared by her subordinates. But it didn't even matter anymore. Hers and Ichigo's period of service ended tonight. They were leaving tomorrow morning. And they would even have a whole month to spare before Christmas._

"_Tomorrow." Ichigo told her. "Just tomorrow."_

_Tomorrow. It was just tomorrow., _Rukia thought miserably to herself as she pressed her back against the wall adjacent to the building's back entrance. _A miracle_,she prayed. _I need a miracle._

"Snipers Black-eye 1 and Black-eye 2 on stand-by. Do you copy, Sergeant? Over." a voice over her radio said.

"Copy that. Maintain visual of the target. I wanna pump a bullet through his head myself. Over." she responded, and then waved over Renji and her backup. One by one they stepped into the building, their movements more noiseless than cats.

The building was only partly finished, with each floor being basically a large empty concrete landing. Visibility was poor, but acceptable. Rukia's eyes darted left, right, and then up as she treaded in carefully but non-hesitantly. Her rifle was one with her body as she swept the first level; it glided smoothly with her, ready to bring down any threat that would even begin thinking about moving. Upon clearing the first level, they proceeded climbing the stairs to the second one.

Rukia could hear the sound of her own heart thumping erratically against her chest. _Funny_, she thought as they swept the second level. _So this is what it's like to be afraid. I'd forgotten what it felt like. _She thought about Ichigo, and possibly losing him. Her heart beat faster.

Renji nodded at her. This level was clear too.

"Black-eye 1, do you still have visual? Over." Rukia whispered.

The radio receiver crackled in her ear. "Affirmative, Sergeant. Proceed with caution. Over."

The team cleared the third, fourth and fifth levels. Already, Rukia could feel her hands begin to sweat and she re-firmed her grip on her rifle. One more level to clear before they reached the floor Ichigo was being held on. Rukia took in a deep breath, and then led the team up the next flight of stairs.

It was darker on this level, and the team had to pull down their NVDs to see clearer. Rukia scanned the floor with her green tinted night goggles. She was just about to say "Clear" when a shadow moved in her peripheral vision.

"Renji!" she warned.

But the corporal was quick. The burst of gun fire was short but deafening, echoing through and through the entire building. The 'shadow' immediately slumped to the ground, and the team rushed over to it.

Renji went on his knees. "It's not Zommari." he announced and Rukia sucked in her breath. "But it's not Ichigo either. It's…a mannequin! Shit! We must have tripped some kinda fuckin' setup!"

At once, their radios burst to life: "Sergeant, the target is on the move and we are losing visual! I repeat—we are losing visual!"

Rukia swore and ordered "Shoot him dammit!"

Two shots rang in the distance as Rukia and her team rushed up the last staircase. Even before they reached the next floor, the snipers reported missing fire. "There was no clear shot to begin with." Black-eye 1 apologized.

"Forget it. We'll handle it." Renji said as the team reached the destination floor.

Immediately Rukia stopped, her heart leaping into her throat. About ten yards away, sitting beneath a dangling light bulb, his uniform soaked with sweat and his head hanging tiredly, was Ichigo. He was strapped tightly to a metal chair, and duct-taped securely to his torso was a badly assembled blinking device. Slowly, he lifted up his head and Rukia had to grit her teeth to keep from breaking down when she saw his face.

"We'll go after Zommari." Renji assured Rukia, and he and the grunt disappeared into the darkness at the other end of the floor.

Rukia had not heard Renji. She could only stare at Ichigo's badly swollen face, bleeding nose and tattered lips. She could barely recognize him.

"Wow." Ichigo managed to croak with forced laughter. "You guys are good. I was sure I'd be held for 48 hours at least."

Rukia attempted to reply, but her lips refused to obey her. So instead, she tried to take a step forward. But a hand held her back.

"Sorry Sergeant, but you can't get any closer till I've taken a good look at that thing strapped to his chest." the owner of the hand said. Rukia, more scared than she had ever thought possible, only then noticed that Renji had left the bomb specialist behind.

The blond boy who looked rather young to be a specialist in explosives, was throwing on a very heavy looking vest and helmet. "It'll only take a few minutes ma'am. But you're gonna have to stay back for your own safety."

Rukia nodded, feeling numb all over. She dropped her gaze, and noticed that her hands were trembling. Swallowing hard, she looked back up to lock eyes with Ichigo from across the room. Even with his busted lips, he managed to smile at her.

_Tomorrow, _Rukia could almost hear him saying. _Just tomorrow._

In a time span of what felt like twenty eternities, the bomb specialist waddled across the floor and over to Ichigo's side. Rukia watched dizzily as the boy inspected the circuitry, and then the explosive material. Another twenty eternities passed by, and Rukia was certain by now that she was going to throw up. Normally it would have worried her that hurling would look limitlessly unprofessional. However right now, she didn't give a crap. She wanted him…_needed _him to be alright. Or else…Oh God, or else…

"Hey," Ichigo said gently from there and Rukia could only blink at him. "What's with that face?" he asked. "You're making me real nervous, you know that?"

"Good news." the specialist suddenly announced. "Zommari must not have planned this at all. The circuits are shit, and the explosive is low grade stuff. It probably couldn't even blow up this floor properly."

Rukia didn't give a fuck. "Can you get it off him?" she asked shakily.

"Hold on." Blondie said, and his hands worked for a couple more minutes. Finally, he gently pulled the wires from around Ichigo's torso. Rukia could almost hear him grinning behind his mask. "Bingo."

At the exact same time, there was the distant sound of multiple gun shots. Seconds later, Renji's voice announced over the radio "Threat's been eliminated, Sergeant. Zommari won't be hanging any stockings next month. Over."

Rukia was almost afraid to smile. But slowly, she allowed the tears of relief to stream down her face. With a steady voice she responded "Copy that. Good work guys. Over and out."

Sighing, Sergeant Kuchiki whipped off her earpiece and dropped it to the ground. She leaned tiredly against a pillar and threw Ichigo a grateful look. Ichigo only grinned somewhat smugly back at her, as though he had known all along that everything would work out. Rukia wanted to slap him with a pair of latex gloves.

"Can I come over there now?" she asked her bomb specialist.

"Probably better if he walks over to you instead" the boy responded, taking off his helmet and grinning. "You know—it's just protocol."

"Protocol." Rukia grumbled, but she didn't care. Not really. Instead, she watched partly amused as Ichigo struggled to his feet and started to trudge the 'long' distance back to her.

"To be fair," he grunted as he drew nearer and nearer. "That Mundonian kid had some _really _nasty second degree burns."

"Seriously? You're giving me your excuses _now_? Get over here so I can show you what real nasty second degree burns can look like." Rukia threatened, but then smiled anyway.

Ichigo laughed and kept trudging closer. When he was about half-way to her, they both heard Blondie musing to himself "Hm…that's unusual. How come I didn't notice this wire the first time—?"

There was a strange clicking sound. Then a beep…

_Flaaaash! _The floor went boom.

_Stockings. He wanted Christmas stockings over the fireplace when they went back home._

_Tomorrow, _he had told her. _Just tomorrow._

Like a slow motion capture, Rukia watched the brilliant white flames approach like a travelling wall, swallowing the pillars and the walls and the very air around them. Ichigo—frozen mid-trudge towards her, his tortured, beautiful face fixed in that gentle half grin-half smirk that only he could manage—didn't ..._couldn't_…stand a chance.

Rukia stared in despair as that horrible white wall caught up with him, and then engulfed him, before coming after her.

The force threw her back. She floated through the air. Her head crashed against the concrete.

And then everything went black.

::: :::

Rukia woke up crying, screaming!

She was surrounded by the darkness, but in her mind she could still see the light! That white, scorching light! She was surrounded by blanketing and pillows, but she threw these away, writhing and trembling instead, wishing her demons…her nightmares to go away! She screamed and screamed.

Until she felt his strong arms around her, drawing her into him.

"Shhh, shhhhh." Ichigo whispered lovingly in her ears. "It was just a dream sweetheart. It was only a dream. See? See? We're in our room. We're safe here. Nothing can hurt us anymore. I'm here with you."

And though it took a while, eventually Rukia began to calm down. Her shifting eyes began to make out the objects surrounding them; the bedside cabinet, the television set, the giant Chappy ragdoll in the corner of the room.

"Look up there. See?" Ichigo pointed to the ceiling and gently guided her chin up. "Mistletoe. And there." He pointed to their window sill. "Stockings. Two for me and two for you." Kissing her tenderly on her moist forehead, he ran his fingers comfortingly through her hair "You're safe baby. It was just a bad dream. You're safe with me."

Rukia's heartbeat eventually slowed down, and then she buried her face into Ichigo's body, crying afresh. Underneath her tiny grasping fingers, she could feel the heavy bandages that covered his charred torso. Beneath her lips, she kissed the burn scars that ran the length of his arms and neck. His unscathed face looked lovingly down on her.

The doctors had promised the scars would heal. They had promised that surgery and skin grafting would accomplish a lot more than it had been able to last year when he had first had the operation.

But Rukia didn't care about any of that. Ichigo was alive. Alive. Slowly, she pulled from his hug and travelled up to his mouth to kiss it. And kiss it she did. Climbing atop of him, she intensified the kiss, breathing him in like he was the very air she breathed. And drinking him in like he was the very life that sustained her being. She worked her mouth over his until she was gasping for breath and could only place her head gently on his chest, listening gratefully to the sound of his heartbeat.

She didn't care about any of the surgeries because the only thing that mattered to her was that the love of her life was still alive. That was all that she needed.

Rukia had gotten her miracle.

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_Well, :) that's the end of it. I read about the trauma some soldiers go through after they've returned from oversees. War is a horrible thing. Sometimes I wish everyone would just put wars on break for the holidays at least. Ultimately though, I wish people wouldn't go to war to begin with. *sigh*_

_Anyway, I hope you enjoyed reading my miracle story. Hopefully it helps us all be grateful for what we have this beautiful season._

_I better go to sleep now. I have a Christmas church service tomorrow. :D Goodnight everyone! And…of course, REVIEW on your way out! (Did you know that reviews can be considered Christmas presents too? 0.o)_

_Merry Christmas!_


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